Vaughan Gething, Minister for Economy
In accordance with the Inter-institutional Relations Agreement, I can report to Members that the first meeting of the UK-EU Relations Interministerial Group (IMG) took place on 17 February 2022. Following postponement of an earlier scheduled meeting that I was due to attend, this one was called at very short notice of around two hours and, as a result, I was not able to participate. This is not an acceptable way to conduct intergovernmental relations, and I expect to see much earlier and more meaningful engagement in relation to future meetings of this IMG.
The meeting was chaired by the Paymaster General, Michael Ellis MP, and attended by Neil Gray MSP, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development; and Junior Minister Gary Middleton MLA from the Northern Ireland Executive. A senior Welsh Government official attended as an observer.
The meeting focused on the agenda for the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee which was due to take place on 21 February 2022.
No date has yet been agreed for the next meeting of the IMG.